Executive Search Success Story: Providing an Interim Chief AI Officer Through a Merger Integration for a West Palm Beach Financial Services Firm

How JRG Partners placed an interim Chief AI Officer that gave a West Palm Beach wealth and asset management firm executive AI leadership through a complex merger integration, consolidated two competing AI strategies, and positioned the combined organization for a permanent Chief AI Officer appointment.

Engagement Snapshot

Client	Confidential — wealth and asset management firm completing a merger of equals (name withheld at client’s request)
Industry	Financial Services — encompassing wealth management, asset management, client advisory, compliance, and operations technology
Geography	West Palm Beach, Florida-headquartered — interim candidate sourcing across South Florida and the Southeast, with national reach for the permanent appointment
Engagement	Interim Chief AI Officer placement — seven-month merger integration mandate with transition to a permanent retained search
Roles Searched	Interim Chief AI Officer, followed by permanent Chief AI Officer for the combined organization
Talent Assessed	80+ interim AI executives evaluated for financial services and integration experience, followed by 240+ profiles for the permanent search
Timeline	Interim Chief AI Officer engaged within 18 days; permanent Chief AI Officer appointed at month seven

The Challenge

Two South Florida wealth and asset management firms headquartered in West Palm Beach were completing a merger of equals. Each brought its own AI initiatives, data platforms, and vendor relationships, and each had a senior AI leader who would not continue with the combined firm. Integration leadership needed a neutral executive to rationalize the two programs without appearing to favor either legacy organization. Executive leadership identified several critical hurdles:

Two overlapping AI strategies, data platforms, and vendor contracts with no combined roadmap
Departure of both legacy AI leaders at the close of the transaction
Client-facing AI tools requiring compliance review under the combined firm’s regulatory obligations
Integration deadlines tied to a public rebrand and client communication schedule
Concern that appointing a leader from either legacy firm would create political friction
A permanent Chief AI Officer search that could not begin until the combined operating model was defined

Recognizing that the integration required immediate, impartial AI leadership, the combined firm’s CEO and integration committee engaged JRG Partners to place an interim Chief AI Officer for the integration period and lead the subsequent permanent search. The firm required a search partner with access to interim executives experienced in financial services, regulatory compliance, and post-merger integration.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Interim Leadership for Transitions

JRG Partners specializes in placing interim executives during mergers, carve-outs, leadership departures, and transformation programs, with a network of AI leaders who have operated through integration environments.

Financial Services and Private Equity Experience

Our firm’s extensive experience serving wealth management, banking, and private equity clients ensured the interim executive would understand fiduciary, compliance, and client-confidentiality requirements from the first day.

South Florida Executive Network

Headquartered in Boca Raton, JRG Partners sourced an interim executive within the Palm Beach and Broward County market, enabling full on-site presence throughout the integration.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Integration Mandate Definition

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Compliance Officer, and integration committee to define the interim mandate: consolidate the two AI programs, rationalize vendors and platforms, complete compliance review of client-facing tools, and define the permanent Chief AI Officer role.

Phase 2 — Interim Candidate Identification

Our team evaluated over 80 interim AI executives, prioritizing leaders with financial services experience, post-merger integration track records, and no prior affiliation with either legacy firm. Four candidates were presented within one week.

Phase 3 — Interim Selection & Deployment

The selected executive completed interviews with leaders from both legacy organizations and the integration committee and was engaged within 18 days, with an integration workplan approved before start.

Phase 4 — Permanent Search & Transition

Once the combined operating model was defined at month three, our research team mapped over 240 permanent candidates. The interim executive shaped the role specification, participated in finalist assessment, and led the handover to the permanent Chief AI Officer at month seven.

Results Delivered

JRG Partners successfully completed the interim-to-permanent mandate, providing impartial executive AI leadership throughout the merger integration.

AI Programs Consolidated: Two competing strategies were merged into a single roadmap for the combined firm within 90 days.
Platform and Vendor Costs Reduced: Rationalization of duplicate data platforms and AI vendor contracts reduced annual technology spend by $1.6M.
Compliance Review Completed: All client-facing AI tools passed review under the combined firm’s regulatory framework ahead of the public rebrand.
Integration Deadlines Met: AI and data workstreams delivered on schedule with the rebrand and client communication program.
Political Friction Avoided: An impartial interim leader retained key talent from both legacy organizations through the integration.
Permanent Leader Appointed: A Chief AI Officer with national asset management experience was placed at month seven with a structured handover.

Key Outcomes

Interim Chief AI Officer engaged within 18 days of the transaction close.
80+ interim executives evaluated and 240+ permanent candidates mapped in a coordinated dual-track engagement.
Consolidated two AI programs into one combined roadmap within 90 days.
Reduced annual technology spend by $1.6M through platform and vendor rationalization.
Completed compliance review of all client-facing AI tools before the public rebrand.
Retained key AI and data talent from both legacy firms through a politically sensitive integration.

Need an Interim Chief AI Officer Through a Merger, Transition, or Leadership Gap?

JRG Partners places interim and fractional Chief AI Officers for financial services, private-equity-backed, and enterprise organizations across Florida and the Southeast — rapidly, impartially, and with a clear path to permanent leadership.

Connect with our interim Chief AI Officer search experts today to discuss your mandate.

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